Prayagraj, UP:
Leaders of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit on Thursday distributed copies of the Constitution among the sanitation workers at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. They said the religious congregation in Prayagraj is a great festival of unity, something the Constitution guarantees.
The BJP, which has launched 'Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan' – a nationwide campaign to celebrate 75 years of the Indian Constitution – has felicitated Dalits across the state as part of this initiative.
After congratulating the sanitary workers of the Maha Kumbh Mela by garlanding them and giving them copies of the Constitution, Uttar Pradesh BJP general secretary Abhijat Mishra said, “We came here to honor those who have been treated by non-BJP parties and governments had been reduced to a mere vote bank. With a strong, sensitive leader at the helm of the nation, the change is evident.” Speaking to PTI, he claimed that other parties see Dalits and OBCs as vote banks. “Our party reveres them.” “The Maha Kumbh is also a great celebration of unity, something that the Constitution guarantees. That is why we have come up with copies of the Constitution to reinforce the idea of unity that our constitution makers had and that our political opponents want to debunk,” he added.
During the voting in the Lok Sabha elections, the Opposition had repeatedly attacked the BJP over its '400 pairs' slogan, claiming that it wanted the huge mandate to amend the Constitution, a charge rejected by the ruling party.
However, the BJP failed to achieve the goal it had set for itself and had to form a government with the support of regional parties. On the other hand, the opposition INDIA bloc had a surprising success, significantly strengthening their presence in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP's move coincided with the Samajwadi Party's decision to hang a bust of its founder, late Mulayam Singh Yadav, a prominent OBC leader, at the Maha Kumbh. The Congress has announced the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally on January 27 to corner the BJP.
BSP chief Mayawati, who has faced a series of electoral setbacks, is also taking positions on the issue of the BJP's alleged denigration of Constitution framer and Dalit icon BR Ambedkar.
In 2019, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted schools for the Kumbh Mela sanitation workers, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi washed the feet of Dalit sanitation workers during his visit to the Kumbh Mela that year.
Days before this year's Maha Kumbh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Prayagraj and described the congregation as “'Ekta ka Mahakumbh (a Maha Kumbh of unity)'”. Moreover, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has described the congregation as “Samajik Samta Ka Mahaparv (a mega festival of social equality)”.
The state government's publicity blitz for the event included a giant statue of Lord Ram and Nishad Raj (king of the river community) in an embrace at Nishad Raj Park in Shringverpur, recently unveiled by the Prime Minister.
Nishads are a politically influential OBC riverine community pushing for integration among SCs and all parties are keen to woo them.
Commenting on the political stance at the Maha Kumbh, a senior RSS leader said: “You can create your own political narratives but we stand for unity and Maha Kumbh is a classic example of caste harmony as all kinds of differences are expressed here bridged. unity that the Prime Minister was referring to.” Political observer Sudhir Panwar, who once contested the elections as an SP candidate, said, “The opposition parties and many of the BJP's OBC allies are in agreement on the caste census issue. The BJP faces a major dilemma on this front.” “Though it has won the by-polls, it is yet to recover from the shocking loss of the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat and is now trying to mobilize public opinion through community-based measures like that of Maha Kumbh.”
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